Ireland has something for everyone

The Giant’s CausewayHandout photo
/ Armagh City and District Council/Tourism Ireland

Blarney CastleHandout photo
/ Tourism Ireland

Kilkenny CastleHandout photo
/ Chris Hill/Tourism Ireland

Dublin CityHandout photo
/ Jaap van den Beukel/Tourism Ireland

ConnemaraHandout photo
/ Holger Leue/Tourism Ireland

Galway CityHandout photo
/ Jonathan Hession/Tourism Ireland

Rock of CashelNutan/Handout photo
/ Tourism Ireland

When the world’s biggest Titanic attraction opens in Belfast on March 31, a new “must-see” destination will be added to the long list of Emerald Isle favourites that have been luring visitors for decades.

The doomed vessel was built in the city’s Harland and Wolff shipyard. Locals still like to tell how the Titanic – which sank with great loss of life a century ago this year – was “fine when she left here.” Now, after years in the making, the shimmering new 14,000-sq.-m. Titanic Belfast attraction finally brings the story home. Behind a towering, iceberg-shaped geometric facade, nine interactive galleries detail the ship’s salty tale from inception to construction and tragic demise, as well as the discovery of the sunken wreckage.

With thousands of tickets already pre-sold, the attraction is certain to be this year’s don’t-miss attraction for visitors. But it’s not the only reason to head across the Atlantic. Whether your dreams are of visiting craggy castles, Guinness-pouring pubs or dramatic coastlines, there is no end of options to inspire Ireland-bound travellers as the plan their route around the island.

The Giant’s Causeway, a short drive north from Belfast, has long been one of the region’s most popular outdoor destinations. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it’s a dramatic formation of close-packed hexagonal rock columns that appear to march down the cliffs into the sea. It has triggered waves of local legends about giants – in particular a lofty chap named Finn McCool who some say used the “path” to cross between Ireland and Scotland.

An innovative new grass-roofed visitor centre opens at the Causeway this summer, providing touch screen interpretation of the site for visitors as well as a handy café, plus a chance to buy some Finn McCool memorabilia. There’s also an on-site tourist centre where you can get directions to other interesting destinations in the region.

Expect a case of jelly leg on the seafront Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge a few kilometres away, for instance. It’s an ideal spot for photos: the waves froth and crash below as you inch across the wind-whipped span to a grassy islet. Luckily, you can calm your tingling senses with a restorative tipple not too far away. Visiting Ireland without a sip of triple-distilled whisky is like travelling in England and not stopping for tea.

A tour of the area’s Bushmill’s Distillery – which recently celebrated its 400th anniversary – is recommended. Or head south to Dublin and drop into the Old Jameson Distillery. Both are great spots to drink in some whisky lore from two iconic tipples. You could also add a third legendary drink to the mix at Dublin’s Guinness Storehouse. The city’s most popular attraction offers several floors of fascinating stout-themed exhibits coupled with a panoramic rooftop tasting bar.

Evidence of Ireland’s vibrant artistic heritage is also abundant in Dublin. The city of Oscar Wilde, James Joyce and Samuel Beckett has an extraordinary, centuries-long literary history and showcases such inspiring sites as Wilde’s house, the Dublin Writers Museum and Trinity College Library, where you can view the Book Of Kells, a breathtaking 1,200-year-old illuminated manuscript.

Away from its two main cities, compact Ireland is home to many other easily accessible sites. Where castles are concerned, you are spoiled for choice. Most visitors make a beeline south for Blarney Castle, a hulking 15th-century fortress where hanging upside down and kissing the legendary stone is a rite of passage.

Rivalling Blarney for visitors, though, is spectacular Kilkenny Castle, much of it dating from the 13th century and still a residence as late as the 1930s. Today, the historic complex mostly reflects the Victorian era, with many handsome antique rooms, a fascinating guided tour and an impressive art gallery of ever-changing exhibitions.

History buffs will also want to head to Tipperary’s Rock of Cashel. The one-time power base of the Kings of Munster, a hilltop fortress was built here in the fourth century, eventually growing to encompass dozens of prominent residential and ecclesiastical buildings. Bring your camera because the views across the verdant countryside here are stunning.

If you’re inclined to further explore Ireland’s natural wonders, consider Connemara and the Cliffs of Moher. Not far from the city of Galway, Connemara invites visitors to make their way through charming villages set in a magical landscape of rugged shorelines, majestic peaks and quilted hills buttoned with sheep. It’s the kind of place where time slows and your heartbeat slows to hibernation levels.

Scenery doesn’t have to be calming, of course – something you’ll soon realize on the island’s wild west coast. Stretching dramatically along the wave-whipped County Clare shoreline, the sheer rock face of the Cliffs of Moher – towering over 100 metres above the Atlantic – offer one of Ireland’s signature vistas. Brave the ocean winds and gaze across shimmering Galway Bay and the ghostly Aran Islands, home to some of the oldest archeological sites in Ireland.

After all that al fresco action, a little light refreshment may be in order. The west coast city of Galway is Ireland’s legendary pub capital and its gently curving main street is lined with welcoming hostelries that make you want to hunker by the fireplace all day. If you’re lucky, there will be live music of the foot-stomping, fiddle-dominated variety to keep you smiling. It’s just one of the priceless Irish experiences no one should miss.

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